Helga Moves
by mentalagility
Summary: Helga's moving away and Arnold tries to sort out his feelings. Takes place sometime after the movie.


**A/N: Hey Arnold! belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

The cool morning air drifted through the cracked window in the kitchen of the Pataki household. The dawning sun broke through, sending rays to the table, giving the only light to the darkening conversation.

"What!?" Helga spat out her food. "What do you mean we're moving? This is a joke, right?" She flung her arms out, flinging the spoon from her hand. It flew out the window and hit a garbage can, scaring a cat.

Miriam responded in her 'smoothie' influenced voice. "No, Helga, we're moving."

"Yep, that's right," Big Bob interjected. "We're getting out of this dump and spreading my beeper business elsewhere. Why stay here when I can make more money elsewhere?"

Helga's eyes widened with panic while she imagined a new place without her friends, familiar surroundings, and Arnold. "We can't move! I like living here! Your business is doing fine! Please, Dad!" She clasped her hands together, begging.

"Sorry Helga, but everything's already set. We're leaving tonight." Her mother murmured, pushing up her glasses.

"TONIGHT!?"

* * *

The school bell rang. Everyone rushed into class, chatting amongst each other like usual. Well, most people, anyway.

"Students, please settle down. I have an unfortunate announcement to make." Mr. Simmons spoke solemnly.

The class focused on their teacher, observing his unusual gloomy mood. A few kids started to whisper theories. Arnold glanced around, noticing a certain classmate with her head on her desk in her arms.

Mr. Simmons cleared his throat, looking towards Helga. "I'm afraid that one of our very special students is moving away tonight."

Almost everyone gasped. They waited in anticipation for the name. As Helga's arms tightened, Arnold's eyes grew bigger.

The teacher continued. "I'm sorry to say that Helga will be leaving. Let's all wish her the best in her new town."

Everyone switched their gaze to Helga; she didn't move. Nobody moved. The only sound that radiated was the heater.

Then, Harold blurted, "Helga's moving away! Where's the party food?"

The chuckles ensued. Helga briefly imagined throwing her textbook into his face. But, she decided it wasn't worth the effort.

"Harold, to the principal's office. Now." Mr. Simmons demanded.

Harold whined "Aww!" and left the classroom.

After the boy disappeared, Mr. Simmons continued with his class as if nothing happened. Helga didn't budge from her position, receiving occasional side glances from the students, especially from Arnold.

* * *

"Hey there, Shortman! Oh, you don't look so good." Grandpa Phil observed, rubbing his prominent chin.

Arnold's thoughts consumed him so deeply that he didn't notice his grandfather standing next to him.

"Arnold?"

"Oh, um…" Arnold looked up. "Sorry, Grandpa. It's just… This girl from my class is moving away tonight and I don't know… It makes me feel…" He sighed.

Phil sat down next to his grandson. "Hmm? Do you like this girl?" He tried to hide a smirk, but it went unnoticed anyway.

Arnold flopped back into the sofa. "I… I don't know. I mean, she isn't the nicest girl, but…"

"Are you talking about the girl with the one eyebrow?" Phil pointed to his head.

"Her name's Helga." Arnold looked down, fiddling his thumbs. "She's mean to me most of the time, but sometimes she goes out of her way to help me. That was really confusing to me until she conf-" He instantly covered his mouth and turned bright red.

"She what, now?" Phil tried to disguise his giggles as coughs, but Arnold wasn't paying enough attention.

"Um, nothing, Grandpa." Arnold strayed from his last comment. "Anyway, I found out today that she's moving away tonight. I won't have a bully around anymore, so shouldn't I be happy? I know she's that way because she's insecure and I know she's a good person deep down, but still…"

"Well, I think you just answered your own question." Phil stopped giggling.

Arnold finally looked at his grandfather with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"Arnold, she bullies you but you know she's a different person underneath. I think you're sad because you care for that person deep down." Phil winked.

Arnold blushed. "But… I won't ever get to see that side of Helga, since she's moving."

Grandpa Phil briefly reflected on his early troubles with Gertie. "If Helga's the kind of girl I think she is, then she's likely to open up to you when you're both alone. Maybe you should go see for yourself."

"See for myself?" Arnold questioned.

"Yeah!" Phil exclaimed. "You could see if she's still home or maybe at the airport."

* * *

Arnold ran across multiple security gates and ticket lines. He frantically looked around in desperation, squeezing through crowds and almost tripping over luggage. He inhaled a big gulp of air when he eventually found her. "Helga!" he shouted. His voice cracked unintentionally.

Helga immediately recognized the voice and turned around. She froze.

Arnold slowed down, stopping right in front of her. He took a moment to regain his breath, then looked up at Helga. "Helga, why didn't you tell us earlier you were moving?"

"My blowhard parents didn't tell me until this morning." She sighed with irritation.

"Oh... A-are you okay?" He stood up straight.

"Football-head, do I look okay!?" She snapped, then paused. "I-I mean, no… I'm not okay." She looked at the floor in attempt to hide her tears. _I can't be mean to him now! This could be the last time I ever see him!_ "I'm sorry, A-Arnold."

Arnold didn't expect her to apologize or say his real name. _Maybe Grandpa was right._ "It's okay. This must be hard for you."

"Ha!" Helga lifted her head and rolled her eyes. "It didn't seem hard on anybody in class. I'm sure they're all thinking, 'Helga's moving! Hooray! Everybody celebrate!"

"Helga!" Arnold exclaimed. "That's not true. I'm sure they'll miss you. We'll all miss you."

Despite Arnold's sincerity, Helga knew he only tried to be optimistic. She looked around, briefly observing the few people left in the airport. "Then tell me this, Arnold. Why are you the only one here?"

His eyes dropped to the floor, his hand itching his head nervously. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. He closed it.

"I don't blame them, you know." Helga answered for him. "How could they feel any sympathy for me when I torture them on a daily basis? They're not going to have a bully around anymore. Face it Arnold-o, no one will miss me. I've accepted that, so you can take your one-man pity party home now!" She internally cringed at her attitude.

"Helga." Arnold frowned.

Helga's outburst carried on. "I mean, I've relentlessly spat spitballs into your hair every day! I make your life miserable at every opportunity! Pulling pranks on you and ruining your clothes and I guilt you into doing things for me and countless other things! You know you won't miss that. So, you can go now."

Helga figured this would be for the best, but Arnold didn't budge.

"Helga." Arnold tried again.

Helga, in a distressed tone, asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Helga." Arnold gently gripped Helga's shoulders, melting her insides into lovesick puddles. If that weren't enough, he stared right into her eyes, which startled her. She tried her hardest to look normal.

Arnold began to speak. "Listen to me. It doesn't matter. None of that matters. Yeah, you've done some bad things in the past, but you're forgetting about all the good. You're really a good person deep down. For all the times that you've hurt me, you've helped me in ways I couldn't have helped myself. That itself outweighs the bad. Remember when you found my hat? I was so grateful, Helga! That was the only thing I had left from my parents." Arnold surprised himself at how he easily slipped his parents into the conversation, something he normally didn't like talking about. "And when Summer was using me back at the beach, you didn't have to tell me. You could've just kept torturing us. But instead, you kept trying to tell me the truth! I would've felt so horrible and embarrassed if it wasn't for you!" Arnold gulped before continuing on. "And when you helped us save the neighborhood. Gerald and I couldn't have done it by ourselves if it wasn't for your help along the way." He turned pink when his memory flashed to Helga's confession. He let go of her shoulders. "A-anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I'm not here because of the bully. I'm here because of the person you really are, the person I wished I had more time to get to know." He sulked.

They stood there in silence. Helga turned her face away from him and her eyes rested on the floor. Arnold heard faint sniffling and, perhaps by instinct, he immediately hugged Helga. He held her close, lasting longer than he anticipated, since she usually pushed him off after a few seconds. Instead, Helga's tears fell silently down her face, her throat tightening as she sniffled. Her body stood still, as if she turned into stone, but the barrier of her heart crumbled into pieces. Arnold almost cried from how intensely Helga wept. Helga released all of her internalized regret into desperate sobbing. They felt like their embrace lasted forever and only a second at the same time.

When Arnold finally let go of Helga, he looked down, unsure of what to say next. Helga wiped her eyes and stared at him in awe._ What an amazing human being you are, my love._ Her thoughts were interrupted.

"Olga, we've got to go now." Her father walked toward the security gate with Miriam.

Arnold stealthily slipped a note in Helga's bag.

"It's Helga!" She sighed. Arnold looked up and their eyes locked together. "I guess I have to go now."

Arnold frowned. "I'm going to miss you, Helga."

At their last moment together, Helga found courage. "I'll miss you the most, Arnold." She gave him a sincere yet somber smile, then turned around to walk to the gate.

Arnold gazed at Helga until she left his sight. He remained there for a long time, unmoving. Her final words echoed in his head. _I'll miss you the most, Arnold._ Her smile, so sweet yet sorrowful, left a permanent mark in his mind. He would never forget that smile.

* * *

Helga absentmindedly watched the clouds move from her window seat, replaying her last moment with Arnold in her head over and over again. She willed herself not to cry and instead decided a distraction was best. She reached for her bag and opened it. While browsing through her belongings, she discovered a folded paper. _What's this?_ Her hand grabbed the paper and opened it up.

_Helga,_

_Do you have an email address? I hope you do. Mine's written below._

_:) – Arnold_

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! It was a bit short, but I don't know if I could add more to it. Please R&amp;R! I appreciate praise and criticism. I know I'm not the best writer, so… :) Thanks!**


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